


Who Are You When There Aren't Any Walls

by AChairWithAPandaOnIt



Category: Avatar: The Last Airbender
Genre: Air Nomad Genocide (Avatar), Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Early Zuko (Avatar) Redemption, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Travel, from like pretty much the very beginning, katara and sokka are just vaguely behind and to the right, landing appa on all the fire nation ships they see and trying to find aang, the gaang isn't even formed atm, zuko doesn't join the gaang
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-08
Updated: 2021-03-09
Packaged: 2021-03-15 00:54:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,548
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29925453
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AChairWithAPandaOnIt/pseuds/AChairWithAPandaOnIt
Summary: They sit there in the sand, sopping wet and cold. In the distance, far off shore, Zhao’s boat sits, an unfathomable mass of blackness in the night.“Well, that was fun!” the Avatar exclaims, voice shaky and nervous; his grin bright and cheerful anyway.It hadn’t been fun. It hadn’t been fun at all. Nothing about it had been fun.-When Zhao tricks Zuko into bringing the newly found Avatar onto his ship and then betrays him, he finds himself escaping with the Avatar. His father probably believes him to be a traitor thanks to Zhao's lies, but Zuko's nothing if not determined. He will return to the Fire Nation with the Avatar.Travelling the Earth Kingdom with only an excitable twelve year old as his companion is hard, though, and the further they travel the more guilty Zuko feels. It doesn't help that the Avatar seems to think HE'S the one in charge.
Relationships: Aang & Zuko (Avatar)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 60





	1. Chapter 1

They sit there in the sand, sopping wet and cold. In the distance, far off shore, Zhao’s boat sits, an unfathomable mass of blackness in the night.

“Well, that was fun!” the Avatar exclaims, voice shaky and nervous; his grin bright and cheerful anyway.

It hadn’t been fun. It hadn’t been fun at all. Nothing about it had been fun.

He shouldn’t have trusted Zhao- not that he _had_ truly trusted Zhao. He’d known the man was smarmy and difficult and he’d been fully prepared to kick up a fuss. What he hadn’t been prepared for was for the man to straight up betray him as soon as he’d brought the Avatar onto his ship. _Especially_ when _Uncle_ had been at the harbour.

_“My ship is far faster than yours, Prince Zuko. It would be an honour to escort you and the Avatar back to the Fire Nation,”_ Zhao had said. And Zuko _hadn’t_ trusted him, but the idea of a quicker journey had been enticing and Zhao had said that he’d send one of his men to make sure Uncle was aware they’d be changing ships. 

Zuko had been so caught up in his relief that he hadn’t thought enough before he’d marched the newly found Avatar onboard Zhao’s ship.

_“Of course,”_ Zhao had then said, when Zuko had questioned why the ship was pulling away so soon and if Uncle had boarded yet. _“I shall have to send a messenger hawk to the Fire Lord as soon as possible - so that he knows to expect the arrival of the Avatar and the traitor Prince who’s spent the last three years hiding him.”_

Zuko had managed to take down six of Zhao’s men. It hadn’t been enough to keep him from being tied up and shoved into the same cell they’d put the Avatar in just half an hour ago.

And now they’re here, on the beach. 

Zuko doesn’t know _which_ beach - and he doesn’t know how far they’ve travelled or if his ship is still where it was or if Uncle has even noticed he’s missing yet or if Zhao’s already had the chance to send off that messenger hawk - but it is _a_ beach.

Standing, Zuko removes his heavy armour, throwing it to the ground in a fit of anger. He grabs at the Avatar’s arm and hauls him up, ignoring the terrified squeak he gives.

“Let’s go,” Zuko spits. “Before Zhao and his men have a chance to catch up.”

“Um, okay,” the Avatar says awkwardly.

And so they go, Zuko’s hand firmly clasped around the Avatar’s upper arm. He’s only just found him and there’s no way he’s going to lose him over this.

* * *

Eventually, once they’re far enough into the wooded area that had walled off the beach, Zuko firebends them both dry. The Avatar sighs happily, leaning into the warmth of Zuko’s hands for _some reason_ as steam pours off of him.

“This is so much better than drying with airbending,” the Avatar says (and Zuko’s beginning to get that he talks _a lot_ ). “Not that drying with airbending is _bad_ , but this is so much warmer.” When it looks like the Avatar is ready to snuggle up to him and go to sleep, Zuko lets go.

The Avatar whines at the loss, pouting as if Zuko had heated him for comfort and not the assurance that he wouldn’t get sick and die and leave Zuko with _no_ Avatar.

They resume walking.

* * *

“Flameo!” the Avatar shouts, a grin on his face. Zuko only has a moment to process the word - do people even say that? - before the Avatar shoots off out of his grip with a woosh of air and grabs a big stick off the ground. “Look at this stick!” he says, showing it excitedly to Zuko. “It’s about the size of my glider!”

Zuko narrows his eyes.

“I miss my glider- I mean, I’ve only been apart from it for a little bit, but I still miss it. And this stick isn’t really like a glider - cause I can’t fly with it at all - but it’s like a staff and my glider’s like a staff and don’t you think it’ll be cool if we walk into a town and I’m holding a staff and I’m like -” he pitches his voice low, a serious expression on his face. “- ‘Hi, I’m Aang’.”

He looks up at Zuko like he’s expecting something.

“Uh...good?” Zuko says.

The Avatar nods, smiling.

* * *

They do come across a town and the Avatar does still have the stick he’d picked up off the ground, but he doesn’t announce himself to anyone because Zuko grabs at the back of his collar before he can shoot off.

“Don’t,” he growls.

The Avatar groans. “But _why_?”

“I’m obviously from the Fire Nation,” Zuko says, glaring as he gestures to his red clothes. “And this is the Earth Kingdom. Why do you _think_ I took my armour off?”

“Err,” the Avatar says. “Cause it was heavy?”

Zuko slaps a hand over his forehead.

_An unarmoured person from the Fire Nation is marginally less likely to get killed than an armoured one_ , Zuko doesn’t say. Also, the armour would have slowed down his movements in a fight.

“Just stay here,” he says, peeking around the corner of a building. It’s night so no one seems to be around. “I’m going to…” he trails off, knowing that the Avatar won’t like what he has to say.

“Going to what?”

Zuko huffs. He glances behind him at the Avatar. Maybe it’s best to take him along anyway, just in case he escapes. Zuko grabs at the Avatar’s wrist and pulls him along behind him as he comes around the building.

“Come on,” he says.

The Avatar looks confused but he doesn’t put up a fuss.

“What are we going to do?” he whispers.

Zuko doesn’t answer as they creep through town. He scans the fronts of the buildings for anything that looks like a shop - somewhere he can get supplies from and possibly a change of clothes.

And maybe a messenger hawk, he thinks, so that he can send something to his father.

So that father knows that Zhao’s _lying_.

They stop at a storefront. Zuko tries the handle - locked - and then lets go of the Avatar’s wrist so that he can pat down his clothes for anything he can pick the lock with. He must have _something_. He’s always prepared for breaking and entering.

“Do you, um,” Zuko glares up at the cringing Avatar as he digs a long piece of wire out of his boot. “ _Know_ the people that own this shop?”

“No.”

“Right, well, _that’s_ bad,” Zuko ignores him, sliding the piece of wire into the lock and thumbling it around. “You do know that’s bad, right? Please say you’re not going to steal anything.”

“We need supplies,” Zuko says. The door gives a click. “How else am I meant to get you to the Fire Nation?”

The Avatar goes still behind him.

“The Fire Nation?” he mutters, like he hadn’t known that was Zuko’s goal. Which he _had_ \- Zuko had made it clear from the start.

“ _Yes_ , the Fire Nation.” Zuko shoves the piece of wire back into his boot and then opens the door.

The Avatar grabs at his arm. Zuko turns to look at his scrunched up face. “But- but we’re friends now, aren’t we?”

What had given him _that_ impression?

“ _No_ ,” Zuko snarls, tearing his arm from the Avatar’s grip.

“But Zhao locked you up _with_ me!” the Avatar insists. “And we escaped together!”

Zuko stomps into the shop and grabs a bag off of a shelf. “Be quiet,” he hisses. “Do you _want_ us to be found?”

“Maybe!” the Avatar shouts, following behind Zuko as he searches the shelves. Zuko hadn’t known that the Avatar _could_ get angry, so it comes as a surprise when he turns around and sees the upset scowl painted on his face. “If you’re going to steal stuff then it’s probably best that we _do_ get found!”

“What is _with_ you?” Zuko shouts back, throwing his arms out. “Just be quiet!”

The Avatar glares, fingers clenching around his stick. “NO!” he practically screams, voice carried louder by his airbending.

There’s a clatter of movement upstairs. Zuko and the Avatar fall silent, both looking up at the ceiling. 

“Who’s there!” calls a muffled voice.

Zuko tugs the bag open and hurriedly picks things off of the shelves - not really taking care to notice what he’s taking - as footsteps pound across the ceiling. He slings the bag across his shoulder and then grabs at the Avatar’s hand, pulling him out of the shop.

The Avatar digs his heels in as soon as they’re outside, bending the air in front of them so that they fall to the ground. Zuko tries to clamber to his feet but the Avatar grabs him around the middle, finally letting go of the stupid stick.

“Put it back!” he says, voice still impossibly loud. The whole town must be awake by now. “This is _wrong_!”

“Who cares!” Zuko shouts, struggling against the Avatar and the heavy winds pushing them down.

“I care,” the Avatar says. He grabs at Zuko’s arms and looks him right in the eyes, determined. “Because stealing is wrong. The shop owner is depending on their products to make money, so that they can live.”

The winds are dying down now somewhat.

Zuko glares, pushing himself up. “And now _I’m_ depending on their products to live. They should be grateful to give it to me anyway - I’m royalty.”

“That’s not how it works and you know it,” the Avatar huffs. “You can’t just go around stealing things because you think you deserve them.”

“I _do_ deserve them.”

Zuko immediately feels a burst of shame. He doesn’t let it control him.

They need supplies.

“I don’t think you do,” the Avatar says. A light turns on in one of the houses, and there’s swearing coming from the shop they’d just been in. “You haven’t worked for that stuff at all, and it’s not like we can’t try looking for food in the woods. And if the only reason you think you deserve it is because you’re a prince, then you definitely don’t deserve it.”

Zuko grits his teeth.

“I don’t have to listen to you,” he says, grabbing at the Avatar’s arm and pulling them both to their feet. “Let’s go.”

“ _Fine,_ ” the Avatar says, in a voice that says it’s not fine.

* * *

Later, sitting around their campfire, the Avatar glaring at him, Zuko wonders why he stayed.

He’d had the upper hand. He could have gotten Zuko arrested and then he wouldn’t have had to deal with him.

He doesn’t make sense, Zuko decides, not that kids ever do.

* * *

“We’re going to the Southern Air Temple and then afterwards we’ll go back to the Southern Water Tribe to collect Appa,” the Avatar says the next day, as if he’s suddenly in charge. “The people at the Southern Water Tribe said that all the airbenders are gone, but they can’t be gone. They must be hiding.”

Zuko, who’s spent the last three years searching hopelessly for a legend and then found him, can’t help but agree.

It wouldn’t hurt to gain information on the hidden airbenders either - he’s sure that his father would be convinced of his loyalty if he could deliver their destination to him.

_He can’t help but be confused at how the Avatar doesn’t know where they’re hiding when he’s so obviously one of them._


	2. Chapter 2

Saying that they’re headed for the Southern Air Temple is easy. Getting there is another thing.

“I don’t know how we’ll get up there without Appa,” the Avatar says whilst Zuko takes stock of their inventory - a couple bags of bird seed, a hairbrush, three wooden bowls, a spoon, and no food.  _ Useless _ . “Maybe one of the other sky bison will see us and give us a ride.”

“There are no sky bison.”

The Avatar blinks, watching as Zuko shoves everything back into the bag. “You don’t know that,” he says. “You’ve never been there.”

“Yes I have,” Zuko huffs. “I’ve been to all the Air Temples. But I’m beginning to feel like  _ you’ve _ never been to any of them.”

“I  _ have _ ,” the Avatar says, glaring. 

Zuko’s not sure he believes that.

“We can climb our way up,” Zuko says. “It’s what I did last time.”

“That sounds dangerous,” the Avatar says dubiously.

Zuko scowls. “Yeah, well, it’s not like you have any better ideas.”

* * *

He leaves their small campsite for about an hour and returns with clothes and food and chopsticks.

The Avatar glares when he thrusts a set of green clothes at him.

“Why do  _ I _ have to change too?” he says. “I don’t want your stolen clothes.”

Zuko growls. “Would you rather that  _ Zhao  _ finds us and captures us because everyone in the Earth Kingdom is raving about the kid with the airbending tattoos heading South. Stop being difficult.”

“I’m  _ not _ being difficult,” the Avatar retorts. “I just don’t think you should be stealing from people.”

Zuko looks up to the sky, rolling his eyes. “Well, it’s not like we can stop and get jobs,” he says. “Zhao would catch up with us in no time. He’s probably scouring the woods for us right now.”

_ Not to mention that Zuko’s sure he would be useless at anything the people of the Earth Kingdom need doing. _

The Avatar finally takes the clothes from his hands. He doesn’t look happy about it.

Zuko sits down next to him with a scowl. “I can steal from a rich person next time,” he says. “Would that be acceptable, Mr. Goody Goody?”

“No,” the Avatar says. Then he frowns and looks down at his lap, shoulders hunching. “But it would be better, I guess. At least they would be able to afford being stolen from.”

* * *

Zuko steals from a rich person next time. They probably don’t notice anything missing at all, but Zuko definitely feels the impact of a dozen gold coins.

“What’s the mask for?” the Avatar asks curiously as he searches through everything Zuko had bought with the rich man’s money.

The mask in question is of the Blue Spirit. It had reminded Zuko of his mother.

Zuko doesn’t tell the Avatar this. The Avatar pouts but he puts the mask back anyway, knowing he won’t get an answer.

So, with green Earth Kingdom clothes and two bags packed to bursting with everything they should need ( _ hopefully it’s everything. Zuko’s never really had to travel the Earth Kingdom on foot before, though, and somehow managing a ship had been much easier than managing himself and the Avatar _ ), they start their journey to the Southern Air Temple.

* * *

It’s hard to drill it into the Avatar’s head to keep his hood down. He’s reckless and excitable and doesn’t care half as much as Zuko about not drawing attention to themselves.

“Will you stop that,” he hisses, when the Avatar pulls his hood back from his eyes to get a better look at the vegetable stall they’re stopping at.

“But I can’t see,” the Avatar whines.

Zuko grits his teeth and tugs the hood back over the Avatar’s head. “Your arrow’s showing.”

“Oh no, how embarrassing,” the Avatar says sarcastically, probably rolling his eyes under the hood.

Zuko has never felt anger quite like this.

* * *

Zuko’s awful at cooking.

This is probably because he doesn’t know how to cook.

* * *

There are wanted posters in one of the towns they stop in. 

There aren’t any of the Avatar - probably because Earth Kingdom citizens would put together the blue tattoos and see airbending and think, hmmm, maybe this isn’t our enemy - but there  _ is _ one of Zuko.

Zuko clenches his fists and stares and tries not to breathe fire with how angry he is.

“They got it all wrong!” the Avatar exclaims. “The scar’s on the wrong side!”

Zuko  _ knows  _ that.

What he doesn’t know is how they could possibly get it on the wrong side when there had been so many people watching.

He turns to look at the other posters. Two blue clad teenagers (Water Tribe, he thinks,  _ and  _ vaguely familiar) and-

Zuko squints.

“What is that? A centipede bear? Some kind of bison?”

The Avatar gasps, head snapping up. He grabs at Zuko’s arm and then rips the poster from the side of the building with a shout of, “APPA!”

Zuko tries to pry the Avatar’s fingers from his arm with little success.

“ _ Wow _ ,” the Avatar says, eyes wide as he reads through the wanted poster. “Appa’s committed  _ a lot  _ of crime.”

Zuko leans over to read the list of crimes.

_ Breaking and entering, assault, arson, robbery, vandalism, refusal to cooperate with military forces. _

“He’s a bison,” Zuko says.

The Avatar beams. “Yep!”

“Why are they charging a bison with these crimes?” Zuko says, gesturing to the wanted poster with an angry hand. “He’s a bison! He doesn’t know what he’s doing.”

“Appa  _ always _ knows what he’s doing,” the Avatar tells him.

Zuko doesn’t think he does, seeing as he’s a bison.

“Those posters are of Sokka and Katara,” the Avatar says, letting go of Zuko’s arm to point at the two posters of the Water Tribe teenagers. “I met them at the Southern Water Tribe.”

“Yeah, they look familiar,” Zuko says. He glares at the poster of the boy, remembering how much that boomerang had hurt.

“They’re probably helping Appa look for me,” the Avatar says, grinning. “It’s nice to know he’s in good hands. Maybe they’ll catch up with us soon.”

They better not, Zuko thinks, because if they do then he’ll have much more than one flighty airbender to wrangle.

( _ and Zhao would probably be right behind _ )

* * *

In the next town, a shopkeeper says, “You know, you look just like that Fire Nation Prince that’s been on all the wanted posters lately,” whilst Zuko hands over some copper coins in exchange for a fruit tart the Avatar had wanted to try.

“Not really,” Zuko says, teeth gritted. “ _ His _ scar’s on the right side of his face.”

And it hurts to say something that’s obviously not true - to use the mistake to his benefit instead of marching up to whoever made the poster and demanding it be corrected.

“Guess it is,” the shopkeeper says. He gives Zuko the tart and Zuko thanks him in a strained, angry voice that catches looks before stomping back outside.

“Is something wrong?” the Avatar asks, when Zuko drops the tart into his hand. “You look angrier than usual.”

“I’m always angry!” Zuko shouts.

The Avatar blinks. “Well, yeah,” he says. “But not usually this angry.”

Zuko scowls. He grabs ahold of the Avatar’s arm and starts marching them out of town.

“This is really tasty! Thanks for buying it, Zuko!” he hears from beside him.

It just serves to make his scowl worse.

* * *

The Avatar always sleeps peacefully, like he hasn’t got a care in the world.

Zuko watches him from his bedroll as he mutters about Appas and monks and fruit pies, blissfully unaware of the turmoil around him. His limbs are starfished out, a bare foot poking from beneath his blanket.

Zuko resolves not to think much about it when he sends an extra burst of flame to the embers of their dying campfire.

He resolves to think considerably less when he gets up and tucks the Avatar’s foot back beneath the blanket.

“You’re so stupid,” he says, sitting back down at his own bedroll, knees pulled to his chest. “Even in your sleep.”

The Avatar says nothing.

The fire flares with Zuko’s anger.

* * *

“What happened to your face?” the Avatar asks one evening, with all the bursting curiosity of a child who has been trying hard not to let that curiosity out.

“Fire,” Zuko says.

The Avatar pouts. “I know that,” he says. “I meant  _ how _ -”

He cuts himself off, seeing the glare that Zuko’s giving him.

He doesn’t ask again.

* * *

“I’m sorry,” the Avatar says in the morning. “I shouldn’t have asked.”

He looks genuinely remorseful.

Zuko glares and says, “No, you shouldn’t have.”

* * *

Sometimes Zuko will wake up in the middle of the night to see the Avatar sat in front of the fire.

There’s always a look on his face - like he thinks something terrible is about to happen, or like he thinks something terrible already  _ has _ happened and doesn’t want to admit it.

Zuko never knows what to do.

He’ll close his eyes so he doesn’t have to see the Avatar’s hopeless expression and lay awake, listening to his strange, foreboding silence.

* * *

They make it to the Southern Air Temple in two weeks, the latter half of the second spent almost entirely on a small, dingy boat that had used up the last of their money.

The Avatar keeps curling up against him for warmth and Zuko can’t get him off even when he shouts so loud he can barely speak the next day. He tries not to think about how his anger almost doesn’t feel like anger anymore, but desperation.

It’s been like that for the past few years.

Nothing’s changed, except that he has the Avatar.

He should be glad.

He isn’t.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> my tumblr: https://achairwithapandaonit.tumblr.com/
> 
> once again i wrote this in liike a day. i guess the inspiration has finally come to write but it's like only for this fic??  
> also lmao lets all laugh at zuko. what a nerd,,, he doesn't even know they're found family now. he's like what's this horrible feeling in my chest??? must be rage

**Author's Note:**

> my tumblr: https://achairwithapandaonit.tumblr.com/
> 
> i wrote this in like a day  
> anyway,,
> 
> zuko: we aren't friends  
> aang: *getting zuko arrested mode activated*
> 
> also,
> 
> zuko: i deserve these things because i'm royalty  
> aang: you don't deserve shit
> 
> if aang could swear he would be going DAMN zuko what's with your SHITTY personality


End file.
